THE CALIFORNIA RECALL: VOTERS; Recall Just Who Started This Thing, If You Will

The party at the Los Angeles Century Plaza hotel got rolling at 4 p.m. Tuesday. It was a party for Arnold Schwarzenegger, but Darrell Issa, the millionaire congressman who bankrolled the effort to oust Gov. Gray Davis, was greeted as recall royalty.

Mr. Issa wore a button-down shirt and navy blazer, brought his own sound bites and was surrounded by reporters as he arrived at the party.

''I have a line if you want it,'' Mr. Issa said as he stood beside a long platform crammed with cameras in a large auditorium: ''My candidate can beat Gray Davis and Cruz Bustamante with one McClintock tied behind his back.''

A former candidate himself, Mr. Issa had ridden the bus with Mr. Schwarzenegger on his campaign blitz through California. But fame is ephemeral, and Mr. Issa's moment soon passed. About 6 p.m., a reporter found him standing by himself amid the mayhem. Asked if he found it unusual to be left alone, Mr. Issa replied, ''I was on the stage at every rally, and I've never done fewer than five TV shows a day.''

Then he pinched the reporter's cheek and said: ''But you've been missing me, and I'm mad. By the way, that was a grope.'' CHRIS DIXON